REACHING GRAND MOTHERS HOME- ACTIVITIY

FROM THE WINDOW-ACTIVITIES

OMANA'S JOURNEY-ACTIVITIES

ANITA AND THE HONEYBEES- ACTIVITIES

THE STORY OF AMRITA-ACTIVITIES

A DAY WITH NANDU-ACTIVITIES

EAR TO EAR - ACTIVITY

GOING TO SCHOOL-ACTIVITY

SPICY RIDDLES

SPICYRIDDLES

Whatdo spices give us?

Spices, like everything else, are made of chemicals. Spices give us health, colour and fragrance and most of all they keep life from getting monotonous. Spices hide in them our traditions and culture.

let’s study about some spices which we uses in our daily kitchen.

I can be powdered fine

To make food hot and spicy,

If too much of me is added

I make you gasp – shheee… shheee…

Your eyes and nose begin to water

And you cry!

Think and tell me who am I?

Tell me quickly, who am I- Red Chilly

Red Chili Powder is also known as lal mirch powder. This is one of the most powerful hot spice which can easily affect the ears, tongue and stomach. Indian food or Indian recipes are greatly influenced with this  chili powder. You can easily get red chili powder in the grocery stores.

Uses

Chilli powder is the base for making any flavored, hot and spicy food.

The Chilli powder is greatly used for various types of veg and non-veg  food materials. It is highly incorporated in various salads  and tomato based sauces.

The ethnic dishes are mostly imparted with the flavor and heat blend of the chilli powder.

Grind me and powder me –

To make your food look yellow,

I am mixed in oil by granny

And applied to wounds quickly,

I heal all wounds – big and small,

That is why I am loved by all!

Think and tell me who am I?

Tell me quickly, who am I?-  Turmeric (Haldi)

Turmeric powder is a bright yellow spice powder made from dried turmeric rhizomes. Turmeric or haldi is one ingredient in your kitchen that holds a remedy for almost all illness you are likely to encounter. A staple spice in almost all Indian households. t has been used by  Ayurvedic and Unani practitioners in India from time immemorial.

Turmeric is an indispensable spice, which imparts a musky flavour and yellow colour to curries. Almost all Indian vegetable dishes use turmeric either separately or as part of the masala (spice mixture). It is also used in recipes comprising rice, lentils and dry beans. A small pinch of turmeric powder would is enough to add a pleasant orange-yellow hue to salad dressings. 

Small and round like a pearl,

I am black when I am whole.

I can be powdered coarse or fine

A sharp and spicy taste is mine,

Whether it is salty or sweet

I am added as a special treat,

Think and tell me who am I?

Tell me quickly, who am I?- pepper-kali mirchi

pepper-kalimirch

Black pepper comes from the pepper plant, a smooth woody vine that can grow up to 33 feet in hot and humid tropical climates. They begin to bear small white clustered flowers after 3 to 4 years and develop into berries known as peppercorns. Ground peppercorns produce the spice we call pepper. 

Uses

Black pepper stimulates the taste buds in such a way that an alert is sent to the stomach to increase hydrochloric acid secretion, thereby improving digestion. Hence, adding a sprinkling of freshly ground pepper to your foods not only adds to the flavour but improves digestion as well. 

It is also an excellent source of manganese, a very good source of iron and vitamin K, and a good source of dietary fibre.

I am a small and skinny chap

Sometimes I am brown and

sometime black,

Added to hot oil and ghee

I spread my fragrance all around me,

When I am roasted.

Curd and jaljeera are favorite to me.

Think and tell me who am I?

Tell me quickly, who am I?- zeera

Cumin seeds are also known as jeera, zeera, seeragam or comino. Cumin are oblong shaped, pale or usually dark brown seeds in color. Indian recipes are greatly flavored with these cumin seeds. Cumin seeds is the form of aromatic spice with the bitter taste and very warm flavor. Cumin seeds can be used as whole, crushed or grounded one.

Uses

Whole cumin seeds are mostly used for tempering the various dals and jeera rice. Cumin seeds are widely used for different preparations of gravies and curry recipes. The Salads and various vegetarian recipes can be flavored with the tempering cumin seeds. They are mostly used for making butter milk (chas), lassi, soups and stews. Whole cumin seeds are great to use along with the whole garam masala for bringing the natural flavor in veg and non-veg dishes. Cumin seeds are highly used as whole, fried, toasted, roasted or powdered. You can make delicious jeera rice by tempering few cumin seeds in the butter.

I look like Zeera though green am I,

To make your stomach

healthy I always try,

Eat me always after your meal

I refresh your mouth, you

surely feel,

Think and tell me who am I?

Tell me quickly, who am I?- fennel seed

Fennelseed it has been traditionally used as an aid to digestion and it has many health benefits. Fennel Seeds  are very effective for digestive problems. In India, these are routinely chewed upon after meals to aid in digestion after a rich meal while acting as a herbal mouth freshener.

Uses

Fennel tea is a mild diuretic and can help flush excess water and toxins out of the body.Drinking this herbal tea can help ease a sore throat, reduce a fever and loosen phlegm from your respiratory system.

I look like a nail but a bud am I,

Chocolate brown colour and a

strong smell have I.

When your toothache

makes you shout,

I soothe the pain in your mouth.

Think and tell me who am I?

Tell me quickly, who am I?-  clove (laung)

cloves is derived from the Latin word ‘nail ‘means clavus. Cloves are normally 12-16 mm long just like nails with a tapered stem. Cloves is a flower bud of huge tropical tree. It is pink in color when is fresh and after dried it turns into rust brown color. Cloves can be used as whole, crushed or powdered one.

uses

Cloves can be roasted and then crushed to make a fine powder with the help of grinder and can be highly used for making various types of stews, soups and marinades. Cloves is a basic part of whole garam masala, which is one of the most important reason to bring the flavor and aroma in several rice recipes, pulaos and biryanis.

 Let us see some of the Other Commonly Used Spices  in the Kitchen

Bayleaf (Tez Patta)

It is used in cooking to add a specific flavour to food. It also has some medicinal properties. . Fresh or dried bay leaves are used in cooking for their distinctive flavor and fragrance. The leaves are not meant to be eaten, although it is safe to do so.

Cinnamon(Dalchini)

Cinnamon is the inner bark of a tropical evergreen tree. Cinnamon is harvested as strips of bark rolled one inside another. It is used for mainly for seasoning food and preparing masalas It has medicinal uses too. This can be prepared by roasting whole cinnamon and then crushing it into fine powder. And it supports natural production of insulin and reduces blood cholesterol in human body.

Nutmeg

The hard brown seed from the nutmeg tree has a warm, spicy sweet flavor. It is used in powdered form for garnishing and also for masala preparation. It is used in soaps, perfumes and shampoos. It can also be used for medicinal purpose. It is beneficial for the treatments of asthma, heart disorder and bad breath.

Ginger

Ginger is the underground rhizome of the ginger plant with a firm, striated texture. The flesh of the ginger rhizome can be yellow, white or red in color, depending upon the variety. It is covered with a brownish skin that may either be thick or thin, depending upon whether the plant was harvested when it was mature or young. It is used for giving a specific flavour to food and has many medicinal uses.Helps to avoid digestive problems. It is beneficial for coping with cough and cold.

Garlic

Garlic is a wonderful seasoning to add aroma, taste, and added nutrition to your dishes. We often recommend using raw chopped or pressed garlic in many of our dishes to take advantage of the benefits derived from garlic. It is used for cooking as well as for the medicinal purpose. It is useful for coping with cough and cold. It also has antibiotic properties.

Saffron

Saffron is a spice derived from the flower of Crocus sativus, commonly known as the "saffron crocus". Saffron crocus grows to 20–30 cm and bears up to four flowers, each with three vivid crimson stigmas, which are the distal end of a carpel. It is used for cooking as well as in beauty products. It is mainly used in sweet dishes. It has good medicinal properties. It helps to cope with skin diseases. It is a good remedy for cough, cold and asthma.

StarAnise

staranise is the unusual fruit of a small oriental tree. It is, as the name suggests, star shaped, radiating between five and ten pointed boat-shaped sections, about eight on average. It is used in cooking and for medicinal purpose Staranise oil is helpful for digestion and avoiding bad breath

CardamomElaichi

Elaichi or cardamom is one of the most common spices seen in an Indian household. It is used in most of the Indian and other sweet dishes to give a good flavour and smell. It is also used widely in pharmaceutical sector. It Helps to control bad breath and digestive disorder. A whole cardamom chewed is good for coping with diabetes.

Coriander-Dhaniya

Coriandumsativum or coriander, also known as Chinese parsley, dhania, or cilantro, is grown extensively in southern Europe, northern Africa, and Asia. Coriander leaves as well as coriander seeds are used in cooking. It also has some medicinal uses. It can be used externally on aching joints and rheumatism. It is also good for coping with soar throat, allergies, digestion problems, hay fever etc.

Curryleaves

Its leaves are used in many dishes in India and neighbouring countries. 

It is used as a main ingredient for seasoning in some countries. It has many medicinal uses. These leaves are beneficial for reducing blood sugar. Each part of the plant provides some benefit or the other. The dried leaves are extensively used in herbal medicines.

The Indian state known as the Spice Garden is Kerala. Kerala is a small state full of hills and hillocks with stunning green sceneries. There are many spices growing naturally in abundance in the state. Now try and make your own riddles about two other spices. Ask those riddles in your class. Draw pictures of the two spices in your notebook and write their names